Bale rise inspires Southampton star Lallana

Thursday 20 March 2014

Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana has admitted that he has been inspired by rise of the club’s former youngster Gareth Bale, Sky Sports has reported.

Bale began his career at Southampton, and his early promise earned him a move to the Premier League with Tottenham. At White Hart Lane, his development soared and after six seasons, he became the world’s most expensive player, joining Real Madrid for around £86m last summer.

Lallana is tipped by many to play a large part for England at the upcoming World Cup, having established himself as a regular in Roy Hodgson’s squads due to his consistently strong displays for the Saints, and the 25-year-old says that Bale is an inspiration.

He explained: "He's moved to Real Madrid for £100m, but he's still competing with the best like (Cristiano) Ronaldo.

"When they are setting the standard it shows when they are worth that much money and they're still putting in the work and still wanting to get better, wanting to score more goals, then that's the attitude that every professional footballer should have really.

"He's got that X-Factor, he's an unbelievable individual and he's proven his worth. He's gone to Real Madrid with bundles of pressure on him, can he handle the price tag? He just looks like he's enjoying his football like everyone else really in the Real Madrid team."

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